How can we know the facts about Jesus? In the very same way we all look into important matters. Think of newspapers and law courts. Good judges and reporters learn the facts by studying the evidence. They pay special attention to those who saw what actually happened. In the same way, Luke wrote,
“… it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught” (Luke 1:3-4).
Luke and others told what they learned from “those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses” (Luke 1:2). The way Luke wrote (the books Luke and Acts) shows that he was well educated, and knew how to “investigate” or study facts carefully. Luke’s reader could “know the certainty” of these facts. The same is true for us who now read the same report. We can be certain in our knowledge of Jesus because this knowledge was passed on to us from witnesses.
Some people say, “The New Testament was written almost 2000 years ago. Can we know that it has been passed down correctly to us today?” The answer to this question is a simple and sure YES. The New Testament you read today has the very same message that was first written by the earliest followers of Jesus. We can know this in the very same way as we are sure of other facts of history. All knowledge of history depends on writings or other records that have been passed along to us. Often the original writings themselves no longer exist.
In the case of the Bible, the original writings were given special care. But they wore out, like all written things. God may have wanted this. People like to make idols. If they had the original writings of the Bible then people might worship those instead of the God who inspired them. Whatever God’s reasons, we no longer have the actual scrolls (rolls of leather or papyrus) on which the Bible was first written. However, that does not mean that the message that was written on those scrolls has been lost. Long before the original scrolls wore out, they were faithfully copied so that they could be passed along to future generations.
Those who first received New Testament writings believed those writings were inspired by God (John 16:13; 1 Peter 1:12; 2 Peter 3:15-16). They respected these sacred writings, and so they looked after them carefully. When they made copies, they did so with great care. That fact becomes clear when we place side by side the copies that have come down to us today. Even though there are many, many copies, they have very, very few differences.
Our knowledge of the actual words of ancient writings often depends on comparing copies that have come down to us. Careful study of these copies gives us books that are reliable. Without such writings we would know very little of history. We learn about people of the past from such writings made from old copies. This is true even though we only have a few copies of history’s other oldest writings. The copies of the New Testament writings are not counted in the tens or hundreds. They are counted in the thousands! The New Testament was written in the Greek language, in which there are well over 4,000 copies.
No other book of ancient history comes close to having so many good copies. No other ancient book has so many copies that go back so close to the time of the original writers. They are so close that there was no time for false stories, legends or myths to grow up slowly. If you wish to check on these facts, please do so at libraries and bookstores. If you have the opportunity, try to visit the museums where the old copies are kept. In such museums you can often see the old copies on display for the public.
Early followers of Jesus’ apostles wrote to each other. Copies of some of the letters of these followers still exist today. These copies are yet another way to look into the original New Testament. For example, Ignatius was a leader of the Christians in Antioch. He lived from A.D. 70 to 110 (when some of the apostles were still alive). We still have seven of his letters. In these letters Ignatius quotes from 15 New Testament books. Another early disciple, Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 150-212) quotes from almost every book of the New Testament, using about 2,400 quotations. So many early Christian writers used the New Testament so much that we can put together nearly all of the New Testament just from their quotes! These quotes are another good window into the New Testament as it was from the beginning. Nearly every word of the first New Testament can be seen, and checked correctly through these different old copies, the oldest versions, and the earliest Christian quotations.
So much proof should not surprise us. If God expected us today to believe in Jesus through eyewitness reports, then God would surely keep those reports safe for us. As a collection of letters and books, the New Testament is better supported than any other such collection from the ancient past. The age and number of copies has far more support than Greece and Rome’s ancient books used by today’s history students. If we reject the New Testament reports about Jesus, to be honest we should also reject all else that we know from history. We can know history from the Bible just as well as, or even better than, we can know history from other sources.